Honda Civic Facelift announced

Honda America has released the first set of photo of the facelifted American Civic ahead of its official unveiling at Los Angeles Motor Show scheduled late this month. The enhancement is the results of Honda reaction to the customer and press complain, although the sales chart says otherwise.

With the facelift, Honda aims to bring the Civic styling upscale towards more premium image. Gone is bland and plain bumper and grille design and in comes an Accord-inspired (no pun intended to the Accord-badged Inspire in Japan) front grille with prominent chrome surround and meshed grille pattern insert. The bumper sports a wider lower intake, garnished by a chrome-plated horizontal bar that run across it. The bumper itself is more sculpted, with more creases and depression found ahead of the upper grille and headlamp leading edge. The lip of the front bumper is more pronounced too, replacing the all-flat affair of the current American bumper. The hood itself is replaced too, with more contoured central section joining the new grille section. 

The changes at the back is more radical and it involves a change in sheet metal too. The trunk lid has been redesigned, the panel is a little closer to the Asian model with the lack of depression for license plate garnish, resulting in a wider look. The rear light has been totally restyled with more upmarket internal graphic and extended deeper into the trunklid inwards. Chrome bar atop of the rear light inner is added too. The rear bumper, despite maintaining the upper contour, has received a redesigned lower section incorporating a reflector on each lower side.

There is no news on the interior yet, but Honda is expected to upgrade some of the material quality and finishing of the its American Civic. While we've been told that the plastic quality differs between Asian and American Civic, don't be surprise if Honda has managed to include some redesign here and there.

For comparison on how the American Civic differs from the Asian counterpart, refer to MMN previous article HERE.

Will this facelift make it to the Malaysian market? We don't know and we don't think it will happen too soon. Not too soon as in Malaysian market, Honda Civic is the best selling non-national C Segment car. Since its July launch, Honda Malaysia has delivered 4,400 units where breakdown of the 6,000 unit of booked car is  2.138 units 1.8L, 1,493 units Civic Hybrid, 1,292 units 2.0L while the remaining 1,148 units is the top-line 2.0L Navi. It captures 30% of the market share for the segment, despite whatever has been said about the car in the internet media. Contrary to the internet bashing, the exterior of the Asian Civic is actually lovable, and kind of grows on you. The boxy interior styling does not look too bad after third and fourth look out. Even the writer himself is slowly developing some infatuation to this new Civic.

Stay tune for for update of the facelifted American Honda Civic.